I am glad many of you made it there safely and had a good show, hope everyone makes it home safely as well.
BY CHRIS JORDAN • STAFF WRITER • JANUARY 27, 2011
SAYREVILLE — Neither rain, nor sleet, nor a heck of a lot of snow can keep Jon Bon Jovi from his appointed rounds.
The Sayreville native began his Jon Bon Joviand Friends benefit concert Thursday night at Starland Ballroom on Jernee Hill Road with a gospel-tinged version of the Beatles classic "Help.''
"Welcome to Sayreville,'' Bon Jovi said. "The hometown of me.''
The show raised funds for the Parker Family Health Center of Red Bank. The concert was his first open-to-the-public show in his hometown since he became a star with his band Bon Jovi in the '80s. Bon Jovi, who grew up in a home at 16 Robin Hood Lane, played a fan club members only show at Starland in February 2009.
"It's great that somebody that big looks out for those less fortunate," said fan Nicole Gonnella, 38 of Spotswood. Gonnella attended the show with her sister Angela. Despite the snow storm, canceling the show wasn't considered, said Dr. Eugene Cheslock, president of the Parker Family Health Center board of trustees.
The Sayreville area received 16 inches of snow by Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
"(Canceling) never came into the equation,'' Cheslock said.
The Parker Family Health Center offers free health care to Monmouth County residents who lack medical insurance or the means to pay for care.
"Our population is young people and they're working but they're the working poor,'' Cheslock said. "With the cost of insurance premiums skyrocketing, they'd rather go naked in favor of food, fuel, a roof over their heads and schooling, and so they have their priorities. Young people think they're invincible and they won't have health problems, but that's not the case. You can't blame them.''
The concert raised an estimated $500,000 for the health center. Tickets were $250.
Visit www.parkerfamilyhealthcenter.org for more information on services provided by the center.
Cheslock is a fan of both Jon Bon Jovi and Bon Jovi's wife Dorothea, who helped arrange Thursday's show.
"The two of them are very generous and connected to their roots,'' Cheslock said. "I find them to be absolutely wonderful benefactors in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. They do good things.''
Bon Jovi's friends on Thursday included Southside Johnny, Bobby Bandiera, Richie Rosenberg, Ray Andersen, Bob Burger and Graham Maby. In other Bon Jovi news, the rocker will star in the upcoming movie "New Year's Eve.'' The ensemble piece also features Robert DeNiro, Halle Berry, Zac Efron, Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
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